


Not just another day

by Musichick2004



Series: Old and New [5]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/F, Hostage Situations, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-15 20:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7236829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musichick2004/pseuds/Musichick2004
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katherine has returned to work and just finished her first case. Unfortunately, by freeing an innocent man, she has gotten evidence against a guilty one, whose friends are not happy about the situation,</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Katherine

Katherine sat back on her leather chair with an exhausted sigh. She closed her eyes with a smile. It was only noon, and jury had just come back on her first case since she'd been back. Not Guilty. A young man had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was put away for murder simply because he was black, in the vicinity, and his blood type matched the one at the scene. Never mind that he is O+, one if the most common types. Thankfully, as happened so often in their cases lately, he'd been cleared by DNA testing, and they'd tied the murder to another man who was already incarcerated on a minor charge.

Katherine brushed her fingers across the frame on her desk. Jethro had printed a photo of her and Anna for her, but she swapped it out for a photo of her whole family. She was holding Anna, Abby's arms around her waist, and Nate, Jethro, and Tony behind them. She laughed at just how tall her little boy had gotten. He was a hair taller than Tony now. Just a little more paperwork and she could get home at a reasonable hour. First, though, she needed some privacy. She closed her door, locked it, and pulled out her breast pump. The hands free bra had been a very wise purchase, and she started writing up her final case notes. It had been an easy one, but she'd made a few rookie mistakes. She didn't want to make them again. 

At around 2, she got an email.

_K, check the local news site. I know I usually say 'dont read the comments, but check this one out: *hyperlink*. I think we may need to keep an eye on this._

_< 3 LR_

Her senior attorney, Laura, had sent her a link to an article about the case, and the charging of the actual suspect based on DNA evidence, and apparently he had some friends. An entire gang, to be precise. Who were playing keyboard warriors in force, threatening her life and the DA and the judge. "Great." She mumbled to herself. Who knows if these assholes are serious, and even if they're not, now she's gonna be tied up in protection details or some shit.

_Laura,_

_Yeah, I see. You wanna talk to the cops or shall I?_

She replied and got a phone call immediately.

" _Katherine, I've already called the police. They're looking into the specific comments but this guy we nailed is pretty bad news. They advised us to stay put, but your family's reputation precedes them, so you're free to hole up at home if you want. But do it now before they get any plans."_

"You're sending me home for my own protection? Don't have to ask me twice." Katherine gathered her things and called Abby, only telling her she was headed home early. Abby was stuck at work, but she'd try and get home at a normal time. Her boss was a slave driver. Just as she was saying her goodbyes and I love yous, shots were fired in the hall.

"Shit. Abs, shit shit shit. Call Tony. Now. I just put a really bad guy in jail and it looks like his cronies are here. He threatened our families too... _keep the kids safe."_ she hissed. "I'm gonna hide, but I'll keep the line open." She hoped she got enough info to her lover in the few seconds she felt safe to whisper. She locked her phone's screen, keeping the call open, and searched for a place to hide. She ducked into a colleague's office and folded herself into a cabinet, closing her eyes and praying to whatever God[s] or Goddess[es] may be listening. She whispered to Abby when she felt she could, until there were footsteps in the room.

"Check it all. Check the vents if you have to. I want her," a male voice ordered.

Katherine shuddered as she heard the cabinet doors open, one by one. "I love you," she whispered into the phone tucked inside her blouse, fearing the worst, when suddenly she felt a bright light on her face and a hand in her hair.

"Found the bitch." A man with a mask over his face pulled her out of the cabinet by her hair, and she arched her back and kicked him hard in the shin. He dropped her with a curse, but quickly kicked her side with steel toed boots. "Fuckin cunt!" He spit in her face and wrapped a hand around her throat. She tried to scream, but the sound was cut off as he pressed harder and straddled her hips. "Kick all you want. You ain't goin' nowhere." She tried to pry his hands off of her, but felt her vision swimming from a lack of oxygen.

She actually was relieved when a second gunman entered the room. "Hey, don't kill her yet." He pulled the first man off her and she saw the butt of a rifle come at her face, and then there was nothing."


	2. Abby

"Hey you! How did court go?" Abby yelled over her music, rushing to the remote to turn it down.

_"Great. Innocent and already on his way home to his family, so I'm headed home for some much needed cuddle time."_

Abby chuckled, "hey, keep that cuddling with the baby! Tony's a jealous kinda guy."

_"Har-de-har-har. Anyway, if YOU can get home early, maybe we could get our own cuddle time..."_

Abby groaned, hearing Katherine's voice get soft and husky. "Oh come ON. You know how bad of a slave driver my boss is."

_"I can be worse..."_

"Oh yeah, I know. Look, I'll see what I can do. Maybe if I give Tony the big--" Abby stopped when she heard faint yelling and what sounded like gunshots. "Please tell me you're watching a Western..."

" _Shit. Abs, shit shit shit. Call Tony. Now. I just put a really bad guy in jail and it looks like his cronies are here. He threatened our families too..._ _**keep the kids safe** "_  Katherine hissed. " _I'm gonna hide, but I'll keep the line open._ "

Abby heard rustling on the phone and hit the mute button, frantically dialing Tony.

“ _Yeah, Abs?”_  
  


“Tony! Katherine’s in trouble, there’s shooting at her office, they threatened the kids, get Gibbs in here now!” She slammed the phone down and turned up the volume on her cell. She heard Katherine moving around, and a door shutting.

“ _I’m in a cabinet, babe. God…please…_ ”

Abby unmuted her phone, “I’m here…I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, “I’ve got you muted on my end so they don’t hear me, ok?”

She heard a shaky inhale, and whispered “ _K. Please Abs…just keep the kids safe. Promise.”_

Abby tried to control her breathing. She wasn’t good at this. She was the freaker-outer. “I promise.” She hit the mute button again and screamed. Tears streaming down her face, she dialed Tony again.

“ _Abs, we’re on our way. Gibbs is coming in. We’ll get her. Corolli is driving—she’s almost as fast as Jethro, OK?”_

Abby nodded.

 _“Abs, talk to me. Don’t just nod. How did you know?_ ”

Abby squeaked her reply, “She’s on the phone…still…I can hear her. God, what if they…What if I hear them…” She started sobbing and shaking on the floor, until Tony snapped.

 _“Abigail! Stop, now. What do you hear? You gotta tell me. This is a case. Analyze the call. NOW_!”

Abby scrabbled off the floor and connected her phone to the computer. She tried to ignore the part of her brain that was sending tears down her face listening to her love quietly pray for her life, and the lives of her family. She grew up Catholic, had dabbled in paganism and humanism, and followed Buddhist philosophies, but now she was begging. She never begged, for anything.

The work part of Abby’s brain followed its instincts. She didn’t even register when she’d started talking. “She’s still in her office, She said she’s in a cabinet. I can’t hear anything else but her.”

_“OK, Abs, good. You’re doing great. Is she talking?”_

Abby’s jaw quivered. “Whispering…praying…she’s praying, Tony. She never prays. The nuns tried to get her to go to service—“

“ _Abs! Focus_!”

“Yes boss. Shit…she’s quiet. That’s not good. I don’t hear anything, Tony.” Abby felt the panic rise again, felt herself hyperventilating.

“ _Abby, You didn’t hear a gunshot or anything…she’s still there. You would have heard something. She’s just listening to whatever is going on. You gotta trust me, OK? Keep talking. Work your magic, what else is there?”_

Abby amplified the background of the call and heard footsteps. She gasped, “They’re there! They’re in the room!”

“ _Check it all. Check the vents if you have to. I want her.”_ Abby heard a voice command.

“Tony, I hear banging…they’re looking…”

As the banging got closer, she heard Katherine whisper a muffled, _“I love you._ ”

“Tony! Please say you’re there!” Abby heard Tony barking orders. They were there, but…

Abby heard a bang and Katherine screamed. The sound stabbed Abby in the heart and she felt bile rise in her throat.

“ _Found the bitch_ ” came a male voice, and sounds that told Abby Katherine was fighting him. She heard a curse, and then a strangled yell as the voice returned “ _fuckin cunt_ ,” with a spit. Abby pulled her trash can close as she heard the struggle and gurgling noises she was sure were coming from Katherine. “ _Kick all you want. You ain’t goin’ nowhere._ ” He was choking her. She was going to hear her die. She heaved into the can repeatedly.

Suddenly, a louder voice yelled into the room. “ _Hey_!” Abby heard footsteps come closer, and practically felt Katherine inhale. She collapsed onto the floor again, cradling her phone in her hands as if Katherine could feel her. Then the second man continued…” _don’t kill her…yet._ ” And Abby heaved again when she heard the dull thud she could only assume had been aimed at Katherine’s head.

Abby finally got her bearings. They hadn’t killed her. They had some kind of a plan. And if they had a plan, it meant Tony had time to stop it. Hopefully they didn’t notice Katherine’s phone was still connected. She pulled out all the stops, even managing to access the camera in her phone and turned it on.

“Tony, now it’s your turn. Talk to me, please.” She begged

“ _They’ve got the office hostage. They sent out a secretary with demands—they want some guy released from prison and sent to Mexico or they kill everyone. We’re setting up SWAT, but they’ve got a lot of people. You still got ears in there?”_

Abby nodded. “And eyes. ‘Course, Katherine stuck the phone in her shirt, so all I see is either blurry fabric, or blurry freckles, depending on which camera I access. But I can see shadows kinda.”

“ _You’re doing awesome, Abs. Is there a lot of light?”_

Abby switched to the main camera on the phone—she’d been watching her lover’s chest rise and fall, just to assure herself she was still alive. “I don’t think so. But her shirt isn’t very thin, so it’s hard to tell.”

“ _OK, we think they’ve got everyone in the basement. Is she moving?_ ”

“No, just breathing.”

“ _Abby, I’m going to talk to SWAT, OK? If anything changes, let me know. I’ve still got you on the line.”_

“OK Boss.” Abby closed her eyes briefly, but jerked them open when she heard a familiar voice. “Hey, I thought I was your Boss.”

“GIBBS!!!” She ran toward him and he caught her.

“Abby, we saw each other a few hours ago. But here.” He handed her a caf pow. He tried to look nonchalant, like this was just another case, but she saw the fear in his eyes.

She pushed him back by the shoulders, “Anna? Nate?”

He nodded, “with Ducky and Palmer. They’re safe, we locked Autopsy. No gang banger is good enough to get onto a federal property, into a federal building, and into a contagion-sealed area.” Abby released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “You with me?” he asked her, finding her eyes and lifting her chin. Abby nodded. “OK. So, whaddaya got, Abs?”

Instantly she went back into work mode. Fingers flying across the keys, she pulled up the camera on the big screen. Any time she saw a shadow of movement, she told Tony. He was trying to triangulate the positions of the hostages with the movements Abby saw and the movements the SWAT team was reporting. Abby had the volume of the call turned up, and she relayed every word the suspects said. There was one leader, the one who had knocked Katherine out, one guy who just wanted to kill everyone, at least two who were somewhat quiet, and one more timid and apologetic kid. Abby actually felt bad for him.

Then she heard Katherine groan. She jumped and yelped in relief, until one of the shadows moved closer and Abby heard a sharp slap of skin on skin. “ _Good afternoon, sunshine. This is all your fault, you know.”_ He growled. The leader.

Katherine mumbled under her breath, “ _he killed that kid, not me_.” Another slap. Abby felt Gibbs growl behind her.

“ _And your kid’s going to die too. Slow and painful.”_ Katherine gasped and Abby saw the fabric shaking. She wanted to scream into the phone that the kids were safe, but she couldn’t compromise their position. Gibbs swept out of the room, and Abby was alone again with her phone. Her lifeline to know that her love was still alive. The leader moved away from Katherine as she sat quietly shaking.

After several minutes, Gibbs came back. “Kids still OK?” Abby asked, and he nodded. Of course that’s where he went. Abby heard the hostage negotiations taking place, but the leader wasn’t doing the talking.

His voice came through the phone loud and clear, right at Katherine’s chest. He must be kneeling by her, or leaning over her. He hissed in a low voice, “ _my brother was set to get out next month, you know that? Now I’ll never see him again. You tore apart our family. So we tore apart yours_.” Abby saw a blotch of light near the bottom of the screen and heard Katherine scream. She started struggling and swearing and threatening her captors, until all the light was blocked from the screen as someone stood directly in front of her. Abby heard the telltale sound of duct tape being pulled off the roll and suddenly Katherine’s cries were muffled. _“And it’s all your fault_.” The leader whispered, barely audible to the phone. Abby heard soft sobbing and keening coming from her lover and she felt the tears streaming down her own face. Whatever this man had done had convinced Katherine that one or both of the kids was dead or seriously injured, she was sure of it.

Abby quickly relayed the information she’d received to Tony. They’d figured out who had triggered this from Katherine’s first statement to Abby, and now they knew it was this guy’s brother. Tony ordered McGee and Bishop to interrogate him, and Gibbs tried to leave Abby’s lab, stopped only by the stern shout. “ _Jethro_!” He turned but didn’t respond. “ _Abby, tell me he’s still there_.”

“Yeah, barely, Tony.” Gibbs couldn’t answer, he just glared at the speaker Tony’s voice was coming through.

“ _Leroy Jethro Gibbs, YOU are a civilian in the matter. You know that. I know you. Do NOT go after this bastard. McGee’s got it. You keep Abby and the kids safe, do you hear me?”_ Abby’s eyes widened at Tony’s command. She’d been living with them for this long and had NEVER heard Tony talk to Gibbs like this. She’d heard him step up and keep Tim and the rest of the team, and even Vance, in line, but Gibbs was always the Bossman. She looked at him with fear in her eyes, expecting him to pretty much explode…but he didn’t. He gritted his teeth, he tightened his fists, but he didn’t move. “ _Do. You. Hear. Me_.” Tony repeated, ignoring the commotion Abby could hear all around him.

Gibbs closed his eyes, took a breath, and growled. “Yes.” He walked stiffly back into the lab.

“ _Thank you_.” Tony said, sounding obviously relieved. “ _Abs, is anything happening_?”

Abby turned back to the screen and tried to focus on anything besides the shaking of the phone that told her Katherine was sobbing. “Not that I can tell. They’re trying to mess with her, but I can’t see. I think they made her think something happened to the kids.” Then the voice came back, the screen got lighter from above, Abby wondered if it was light through her collar and Katherine whimpered.

Abby’s hackles raised as the voice practically crooned into the phone. _“You think you’re broken now? I got news for you. That’s just the start. Imagine how it’ll feel when your pretty little girlfriend is on her knees in front of me, begging me to kill her_.” Katherine snarled through the duct tape and was shoved onto the ground. “ _Now now, I think it’s time to teach you a lesson in respect_.” And then light flooded the lens. Katherine’s shirt was ripped off and Abby got a clear view of the room before the goon yanked the phone out of Katherine’s bra. Abby knew their cover was blown and she wanted to tell Katherine the kids were OK, but Gibbs grabbed her hand and spun her around. _“Shit. This thing is on!”_ The last thing Abby saw was Katherine’s bloody face as the camera was slammed onto the ground next to her, and everything went black.

“GIBBS!!! I could have told her they were OK! I could have done it before they cut the connection! She doesn’t know!” Abby was punching him in the chest as he pulled her close.

“Abbs. Abbs! ABBS! Stop! If they heard you tell her the kids are OK, and you’re OK, then why would they keep her alive? They want her to suffer. If she’s not suffering, they’re going to kill her. She’s suffering, but it’s buying us time to get to her. Please believe me. Please.” Abby’s thrashing had slowed to ineffective shoves with her loosely clenched fists, as she collapsed into a fit of tears. Not only was she trapped in here, but she was now useless in this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tend to flip flop perspectives in my fics, sometimes paragraph by paragraph, so I'm attempting to stick to one POV per chapter here


	3. Tony

Tony threw a wad of paper at McGee when his head was turned. “Seriously, Tony?” He tossed the paper in recycling, “What are you, 12?”

Tony grinned and leaned back in his chair. He’d thought about staying at his old desk this time, but he couldn’t do it. This one had a better view of his whole team, and it had been the seat of power for over 15 years. He wasn’t the ‘new Gibbs,’ but the desk was symbolic. “I’m bored. Entertain me!”

McGee crumpled another sheet of paper when Tony’s phone rang. “Oooh, you’re good probie!” He looked at the caller ID and picked up. “Yeah, Abs?”

_“Tony! Katherine’s in trouble, there’s shooting at her office, they threatened the kids, get Gibbs in here now!”_

Tony gaped at the phone for a second after the call was disconnected, but quickly sprung into action. “Grab your gear, possible hostage situation. Corolli:” he tossed the keys to the car across the aisle, and she swooped toward the elevator. Tony pulled up the address on his phone’s GPS, then called Metro SWAT as they pulled into traffic. They’d had some 911 calls about shots fired, and units were already en route. Tony was friends with the Sargent on duty and dialed his personal cell. “Sean, man, I gotta be there.”

_“Tony, it’s not your jurisdiction.”_

“My sister is in there.” Tony didn’t want to explain the whole dynamic, so he left it at that. He heard Sean exhale.

_“Shit. I shouldn’t, you know that.”_

“I’m just there to help. I got two teams on the way. They’ll listen to me, but I’ll listen to you. Your call.” Tony didn’t like waiting to call Jethro, but he had to make sure they had a plan at the scene.

_“Find me when you get here.”_ And Sean hung up.

Tony hit the speed dial on his phone.

_“Hey…I hear squealing tires, everything OK?”_

Tony grunted as he slid into the door when Corolli turned a corner hard. “Yeah, apparently coffee isn’t the only thing you Marines have in common.”

_“Corolli driving?”_

“Yes. No time for chitchat. There’s a situation, and Abby said you need to bring the kids to the yard NOW. I’ll explain more when I know, but she wasn’t kidding. There were threats.” He heard Jethro gathering things already.

_“I’m on my way. I’ll come to you when they’re safe.”_

“No, Jethro, you won’t. Look, it was hard enough to get me on the case, you gotta keep those kids safe.”

_“They’ll be safe with Ducky—“_

“No.” Tony barked at Jethro. “My team, my call. You don’t get to barge in here and take over. There’s a reason you can’t be involved when family is at risk. Stay with Anna and Nate.” And he hung up.

“He’s not gonna be happy Boss,” McGee said from the back seat.

“No kidding.” Tony sighed. 8 more minutes, according to GPS.

“He’s gonna come after this.” McGee said again.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious!” Tony snarled. 7 and a half minutes. His phone rang. “Abs, we’re on our way. Gibbs is coming in. We’ll get her. Corolli is driving—she’s almost as fast as Jethro, OK?” He heard a slight jingle he assumed came from the chain on her collar, “Abs talk to me, Don’t just nod. How did you know?” He tried to be calm, tried to keep her talking. If she’d known about this before it even hit 911, maybe she knew more.

_“She’s on the phone…still…I can hear her. God, what if they…What if I hear them…”_ Abby was panicking.

Tony sat up straight. They had ears in the building. Tony hated to be so gruff, but he didn’t have time to hold her hand. “Abigail!” he shouted into the phone, getting her attention. “Stop, now. What do you hear? You gotta tell me. This is a case. Analyze the call. NOW!” He needed every piece of information he could get. He put the phone on speaker, McGee had already pulled up his laptop and was typing furiously.

_“She’s still in her office, she said she’s in a cabinet…I can’t hear anything else but her.”_

“OK, Abs, good. You’re doing great. Is she talking?” If Katherine was giving any information, he needed to know. He heard Abby sniffle.

_“Whispering…praying…she’s praying, Tony. She never prays. The nuns tried to get her to go to service—“_

Tony snapped. “Abs! Focus!” He couldn’t afford to let Abby go off onto a tangent that could lead her to a panic attack.

_“Yes boss.”_ She whispered. Then she gasped, _“Shit…she’s quiet. That’s not good. I don’t hear anything, Tony”_

Tony tried to calm Abby down as he saw lights and sirens ahead. “Abby, you didn’t hear a gunshot or anything…she’s still there. You would have heard something. She’s just listening to whatever is going on. You gotta trust me OK? Keep talking. Work your magic, what else is there?” If Katherine was silent, that meant something had changed. She heard something, and he knew Abby could work the call so she could hear it too. He jumped out of the car, phone in hand, and Abby yelled,

_“They’re there! They’re in the room!...Tony, I hear banging…they’re looking…Tony! Please say you’re there!”_

Tony found Sean immediately. “Stayton?” He shouted, and he saw his friend turn. At 6’6” tall, he wasn’t hard to spot.

“Dinozzo. We got 8 hostages, and at least 4 gunmen. They sent one out with a list of demands and a few muzzle burns for her trouble. Looks like they want some crook released and sent to Mexico, and if they don’t get that, they’re gonna kill the hostages. We have 2 hours to get this sorted.” Sargent Stayton was a good cop. A damn good cop. Tony would follow him into battle any day.

“OK, let’s talk to her. McGee, get with Metro’s tech team, see what you can do. Corolli, Bishop, gear up, you’re with SWAT. Call me when Balboa's on scene.” Tony turned to head toward the hostage sitting on the back of the ambulance, when he heard a voice in his ear.

_“Tony, now it’s your turn. Talk to me, please.”_ Abby. He’d forgotten he’d put her on Bluetooth. He gave her the situation, and she told him she had eyes in there too. He gestured toward the tech team and Stayton nodded. Tony postponed talking to the hostage, jogged toward the van where McGee had disappeared and tried to get more information. He let Abby know he was staying on the line, and connected McGee to the call with Abby so he could coordinate.

Slowly, they got more information. Hostages probably in the basement. Smart on the suspects’ part. One ringleader, one with a hair trigger, two silent-but-deadly types, and one kid who didn’t seem like he wanted to be there. He might be the weak link. Tony radioed the info to the negotiator.

_“Tony,_ ” he heard McGee over the radio, _“Katherine’s awake. Abby’s not taking it so well…looks like she’s the main focus for this guy. I got a bad feeling.”_

Tony closed his eyes…if McGee had a bad feeling, he didn’t want to know what Jethro was feeling. He sent McGee and Bishop to get as much as they could from the ringleader's brother. When Abby told him about the threats to the kids, and how they'd wanted Katherine to suffer, he felt something shift. After this many years, it was like he was directly connected to the Gibbs gut, and he shouted, “Jethro!” He heard Abby whine, then he growled, “Abby, tell me he’s still there.”

_“Yeah, barely, Tony_.” So he’d been right.

“Leroy Jethro Gibbs. YOU are a civilian in the matter. You know that, I know you. Do NOT got after this bastard. McGee’s got it. You keep Abby and the kids safe, do you hear me?” When he didn’t get a response, he slammed his hand against the nearest patrol car. “Do. You. Hear. Me?!”

A far away and **very** angry voice replied. _“Yes.”_

Tony sighed. He’d deal with this later, if Jethro even listened. “Thank you. Abs, is anything happening?” Abby relayed what she knew, then fell silent. Something was happening. “Talk to me! Abs…”

_“GIBBS!!! I could have told her they were OK! I could have done it before…”_ Abby’s voice was muffled, but Tony heard Jethro murmuring to her.

“What happened? Is she OK? What did they do?!” Tony felt bile in his throat.

_“We lost our connection, Tony.”_ Gibbs snarled into the phone. _“The bastards found the phone. They threatened Abby, then decided to ‘teach her a lesson’ involving ripping her goddamn shirt off. Phone’s gone.”_ And then he hung up.

“Jethro! Jethro!” Tony threw his headset to the ground. He was coming, regardless of what Tony said. He gritted his teeth and headed toward SWAT. “Sean, we have a problem.”

“Uh, thanks for that observation…” he said, gesturing at the chaos that surrounded them.

“No, bigger. Gibbs.”

“Great. Look, he’s good, and if he’ll play nice, I’ll use him. But if he goes all vigilante, I can’t promise he won’t get hurt.” Sean said. He knew of the infamous Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

“Sean, it’s not him who will get hurt. He’ll be a thousand yards behind your guys if he thinks he can get a shot. But he’s coming, and anyone who tries to stop him will regret it. I know I certainly will when I get home.” Sean lifted a brow, but left it alone for now.

“Give me his number. It’s my show, and if he’s pissed at you, maybe he’ll talk to me.” Sean held out his phone. Tony dialed Jethro’s number.

_“Gibbs._ ”

“Gibbs, you don’t know me, but I’m running this team out here.” He heard an engine revving and knew Tony was right. “You listen to me. I’m not opposed to using what’s offered, whether it’s regulation or not, and if you’re half as good as Tony says, then I’m using you. To hell with the consequences. But you gotta work with me. We have a deal?” Tony saw Sean nod and hang up the phone.

“So?” He asked.

“So, he’s no fan of yours right now, but he’ll find me. We’ve got snipers, but we need someone who can get in quietly. He suggested one of your team members to accompany him—Corolli?”

Tony nodded. “She’s good, and she’s sneaky. They’d be a lot quieter than your shock-and-awe SWAT team.”

They developed a plan. They heard a squeal of tires and some yelling as Jethro charged past the Metro cops at the perimeter. He glared at Tony as he talked to Sean and donned his gear. They discussed the plan, Corolli agreed, and Jethro checked his sidearm as well as the rifle he was given. Before he went in, Tony grabbed his arm. “J…don’t…”

“Not gonna ruin your op, DiNozzo.” He yanked his arm out of Tony’s grasp, and all Tony wanted to do was drag him into a kiss. But that would throw him off. His anger was focusing him now.

“Jethro.” He shouted, and he paused. “Don’t get hurt. Please.” Jethro hadn’t turned toward him, but nodded and loped toward the building.


	4. Jethro

Jethro grabbed the diaper bag and swung into the living room where Anna was napping. “They’ll be safe with Ducky—“

 _“No!”_ Jethro shook his head at the voice over the phone. _“My team, my call. You don’t get to barge in here and take over. There’s a reason you can’t be involved when family is at risk. Stay with Anna and Nate.” *beep*_

He stared at the phone as the call ended. This was bad. He pushed aside his own feelings and went to the task at hand. Nate was home for a break, so, with Anna on his hip, he banged on the door. “Nate! Move out, now!”

He heard scrabbling, and Nate was at the door, computer headset still around his neck, “What’s up?”

Jethro just turned toward the door, “I don’t know, but we’re leaving. Now.” Nate followed, grabbing a coat and his phone and shutting the door behind him.

*****

“Jethro, I have heard there is quite the commotion, do you have any more information?” Ducky asked as his friend stormed into Autopsy.

“I got nothin’ Duck. Hey baby girl, wanna sit with Grandpa Ducky?” Anna blew him a raspberry in response and giggled as she was passed to the waiting M.E. Jethro was glad he still had another month before his retirement date. “Palmer around? He and Nate can probably do the dirty work for ya. Should have plenty of diapers and milk in the bag here.” He patted the diaper bag, pulling out the cooler pack inside with several bottles. In spite of the situation, whatever that was, he laughed when Anna got a hold of Ducky’s glasses and caught them before they hit the floor. “Here ya go, she’s vicious with those. Killed a pair of my sunglasses the other day.”

“Thank you. Nathan, would you be so kind as to place those bottles in the refrigerator? Stick to the top shelf with my lunch—the rest of the shelves are reserved for samples and—“ Nate jumped and cursed when he opened the fridge, “yes, as I was saying, samples and certain organs which need to be studied in depth.”

“Duck, I’m gonna find Abby. I’ll be back.” Jethro kissed Anna’s head, ignoring her pout when he didn’t let her grab his nose, patted Nate on the shoulder with a meaningful nod and glance at the oldest and youngest person in the room, and left, grabbing the coffee and caf-pow they’d stopped for on the way.

As the elevator opened, he heard Abby wearily say, “OK Boss.”

“Hey, I thought I was your Boss,” he said with a smile. Even though this was bad, he knew Tony would want Abby calm and on the case. He presented her with the caf-pow after catching her and almost collapsing under her full weight.

“Anna? Nate?” She asked, he saw the fear in her eyes. His gut churned, but he nodded.

“With Ducky and Palmer. They’re safe, we locked Autopsy. No gang banger is good enough to get onto a federal property, into a federal building, and into a contagion-sealed area.” He felt Abby exhale in relief. “You with me?” he asked her, finding her eyes and lifting her chin. Abby nodded. “OK. So, whaddaya got, Abs?”

He smiled as she went back to work. He heard the movements coming over the speaker, and Abby motioned to her cell phone, which showed a connected call to Katherine. They had ears and eyes in the middle of the situation. Tony and McGee were on the other line, coordinating with Metro SWAT, and they were getting a decent feel for the situation. Until he heard a * **slap** *. His hackles rose as he heard a voice that reminded him far too much of Ari and Sergei.

_“Good afternoon, sunshine…”_

The rest of what he heard turned into a blur as he felt almost feral, listening, helpless. He wasn’t armed, he wasn’t there, but what broke him out of his trance was hearing the threat against his daughter. Katherine could handle a little manhandling, but his baby? He stormed out of the room and headed straight to autopsy.

As he approached the sealed doors, he breathed a sigh of relief. Palmer and Nate were having an involved conversation, and Ducky was bouncing Anna on his knee, glasses safe on the desk behind him. Ducky waved, but gestured toward the locking mechanism. After Ari, it took a lot to get in once they’d sealed the room, and Jethro nodded and waved. Ducky spun Anna around and she clapped her hands. Jethro heard his phone ring and saw that “autopsy” was calling. “Yeah, duck?”

 _“Dadadadadadadada…”_ Ducky brought the phone back to his ear, _“She wanted to assure you that we are quite alright. Mr. Palmer is even regaling young Nathan on the finer points of a government career. Take care of what you need to do, Jethro, we will be fine.”_

He nodded and got back to Abby’s lab. “Kids still OK?” She asked, without turning. He nodded and approached her computer. Hearing the screams and wails coming from Katherine, he knew what she thought. He’d made those same sounds time and time again when he found out about Shannon and Kelly. She thought they were dead. She would do anything to hurt them now, and that was dangerous, even if she was bound and gagged. When he heard the name and that this guy was in lockup, he spun toward the door, only stopping when Tony’s voice rang out in the lab.

 _“Jethro!”_ He stopped, but ignored what was said between Abby and Tony. He glared over his shoulder at the speaker. What he heard next threatened to send him into a flying rage. “ _Leroy Jethro Gibbs, YOU are a civilian in the matter. You know that. I know you. Do NOT go after this bastard. McGee’s got it. You keep Abby and the kids safe, do you hear me?”_  Jethro tried very hard not to rip Abby’s speaker from its connections. His brain was going in six different directions, from panic _(You couldn’t save Kelly, you think you can save Anna?)_ , to rage _(Who the hell tells you what to do when it comes to your family?)_ , to logic _(Rule 44—get the women and children out—that’s the most important thing)_. Tony tried again. _“Do. You. Hear. Me?”_

Jethro closed his eyes and chose logic for now, pushing down the panic and rage to just under the surface. “Yes.” He snarled, and took a few steps back into the lab.

Then the assholes found the phone. They tore her shirt off, and smashed the phone, and Abby was hitting him and he had to be the rational one. These bastards were getting off on watching her suffer, and if she wasn’t suffering, they’d get off on killing her. He’d trade some therapy sessions for a funeral any day.

“We lost our connection, Tony.” He had to at least tell Tony what they’d seen last. “The bastards found the phone. They threatened Abby, then decided to ‘teach her a lesson,’ involving ripping her goddamn shirt off. Phone’s gone.” He hung up.

“Abs, you stay here if Tony needs you, OK? Call Ducky and check on the kids every once in a while. I’m going.” He kissed her temple and she hugged him.

“Don’t be crazy, Gibbs. We need you here too. But thank you.” The last words were hushed. She knew just how far he’d go for family, and she thought of the shell casing she still kept in her dresser as a reminder. She just hoped he wouldn’t get himself killed in the process.

He ran to the garage and spun the Challenger around, almost hitting 3 cars and 4 pedestrians in the first 2 minutes. His phone rang, but he didn’t recognize the number. Probably Tony’s doing. He flipped the phone over and practically yelled into the phone, “Gibbs.”

 _“Gibbs, you don’t know me, but I’m running this team out here.”_ He spun his tires and gunned the engine through a yellow light, and didn’t interrupt.“ _You listen to me. I’m not opposed to using what’s offered, whether it’s regulation or not, and if you’re half as good as Tony says, then I’m using you. To hell with the consequences. But you gotta work with me. We have a deal?_ ”

“It depends. That’s my family he’s got in there, and my family he’s threatening. And I don’t give a rat’s ass what Agent DiNozzo says, I’m going in. If you’ve got a plan, we’ll talk. If you don’t, I’ll go in without you. Simple as that. But if I’m going in, I want Corolli. I’ll find you.” And he hung up.

Jethro skidded to a stop just outside the police line and pushed past the Metro cops, ignoring their orders to stop. Quickly, they backed off as a tall, obviously in-charge officer stepped toward him with a vest. “Gibbs, I assume?” Jethro just nodded. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. And if any of those hostages get killed because you went off script, Marine, I’ll have your ass in a sling.” The man wasn’t intimidated by him, and was obviously military before being in charge of SWAT.

“Yes sir.” Gibbs replied as Corolli hustled behind him and they listened to the plan. It was their job to get in and get eyes. Once they found appropriate positions, SWAT would get snipers in place where Jethro assigned, and they’d strike at once. 5 on 5 was a hell of a lot better than 2 on 5, but they hadn’t been able to get a shot because the hostages and gunmen were all in the basement. They’d planned on sending in a team anyway, but this Sergeant was pretty realistic. He knew Gibbs was going in, plan or no plan, and this was the least dangerous way he could do it.

After reviewing the building plans with Corolli and setting their route, Jethro checked his weapons. He felt a hand on his arm and Tony was there, redfaced and coiled to spring. “J…don’t…”

Jethro pulled his arm back. Maybe it was cold, but that was the only thing he’d let out right now. “Not gonna ruin your op, DiNozzo.” The name spit from his mouth. Maybe he loved him, but he didn’t understand that he _had_ to do this. This wasn’t some ego trip or trumped up hero bullshit, he had to do it. He was stuck in another country fighting for someone else when Shannon had died. He wasn’t going to let Katherine go so easily.

Tony shouted after him, pleading this time, “Jethro.” He closed his eyes and stopped, not turning, but dipped his head just enough. “Don’t get hurt. Please.” He nodded. He was Tony’s Shannon. He couldn’t run off and shoot up the place and not care if he died. He’d been that for Diane, but she wasn’t enough. Tony was. Tony would never replace Shannon in his heart, but damnit if he hadn’t squeezed into his Grinch heart and made it grow three sizes to fit, right next to her and his kids. He shook off his memories and focused on the mission.

“Corolli, you watch my six, or DiNozzo will have your head, you got me?” He whispered, and she nodded. “Yes sir.” They proceeded to clear the building, weapons drawn, until they reached their first destination. Corolli was small enough to get into the vent, and placed a camera facing directly into the basement. She shook her head at Gibbs’s questioning look. He didn’t like that look, but he had to move on.

 _“Good job, Boss, we got visual,”_ Gibbs heard McGee through his earpiece. He rolled his eyes, Tony would love that. They still had some issues about the team calling him “Boss.” He kept silent as they worked their way toward what Gibbs thought would be a good secondary location. It was an old brick wall that had been painted over when the building was expanded, but he was certain there were old basement window openings that could be used with a small amount of effort. He was right. As Corolli kept watch, he used a small hand drill to push through the wood panels and set the camera. _“Jackpot. Boss, we’ve got a bead on one through the front window, now two more access points, we just need one more. I think we only have to worry about the four. I’m watching this kid, and no way does he want to be a part of this.”_ Jethro looked through the hole he’d made and felt his stomach clench and his teeth grind together. Katherine was no longer bound to a chair as they’d assumed earlier. She was on her back on the concrete floor, bloodied and bruised, unconscious, one leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

Jethro thought hard about this. He could easily ambush from right here, and he and Corolli could take out the four dangerous targets. Problem was, they’d lined the hostages up, standing, around them. Smarter than the average crook. If the two of them leapt into the fray, a hostage could get hurt or killed in the crossfire. As much as his nerves were telling him to shoot first, figure it out later, his gut was pulling him back. It wasn’t normal that his gut was opposed to his nerves, but he went with it. He motioned to Corolli to back up. They retreated to the team and briefed Stayton on his thoughts. They had 20 minutes until these guys killed a hostage, if they hadn’t killed Katherine already.

Within 5, they had three snipers at the ready—one in the vent, one aiming through the hole Jethro had made large enough for the rifle, one working through the basement window, and Jethro at the basement door. He’d already claimed the ringleader as his. He steadied his mind, thinking only about his target, not what he’d done, or what he was going to do, just his movements. He was pacing, slowly, a smug look on his face. Jethro aimed and waited for the command. As he breathed out slowly and squeezed the trigger, he saw four gunmen drop almost simultaneously. Instantly, he burst through the door, Corolli covering the screaming teenager, crying and apologizing, and ran to Katherine. He trembled as he reached to feel for a pulse, ignoring the rest of the SWAT team clamoring in around him, dealing with the hostages and calling for medical attention. He pressed into her neck, and looked up as he felt the faint thumping beneath his fingers. Tony was in the door, his eyes pleading, until Jethro nodded. The EMTs pushed Tony out of the way and ran down to her, pulling Jethro back and getting to work.

*****

Jethro stood in the waiting room, having been kicked out almost as soon as the ambulance arrived. He didn’t have to wait long until he saw Tony and what felt like an entire SWAT team barge through the doors. In reality, it was just Tony and _his_ team, plus Sergeant Stayton. Tony ignored the gasps from the other people in the room and took long strides to embrace Jethro. He tried to push Tony away, he wasn’t ready to kiss and make up, but Tony held him tight. Sometimes he hated how Tony knew him and wouldn’t let him run away. After a brief, awkward, and slightly bruising, embrace, Tony released him and held his shoulders. His stare was intent, until Jethro nodded. Without words, he’d told Tony that Katherine had made it to the hospital. He was still grinding his teeth, still on edge, until Tony softened. His hand slid from Jethro’s shoulder to his neck and pulled his forehead to touch his. Quietly, he whispered, “stop panicking…you’re scaring the civvies.”

Jethro looked at him with exasperation. “Seriously? Battlestar Galactica?”

Tony smirked just a little. “Paraphrasing, but yeah. It fits. We’ll stay, McGee will get Abby, and we’ll wait. Together. I already talked to Nate, and he’s got Anna and they’re gonna stay with McGee and Delilah until we know there’s no more danger from this guy. And then...we deal with us. Got it?”

Jethro just nodded. Focus on the present. He tried not to let his anger rise up again, but he couldn’t help pushing Tony back. He took the hint and moved over to talk to the team and suddenly it was just the two of them. “Be pissed at me later.” He heard Tony say, as he felt a hand on his knee. “I got you now."


	5. Resolution

Katherine opened her eyes groggily, vaguely remembering having woken several times before, only to find herself restrained and sedated. She tried to cry out again, but could barely stay conscious. She felt someone stroking her cheek and calling to her.   
  
“Hey, there,” she heard a familiar voice, “don’t freak again, OK? The kids are OK. I promise you, they’re fine. Kat, they’re OK…” She had tears in her eyes and her mascara was running down her face.   
  
“Abby?” She whispered, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.   
  
“Yeah, babe, God, you had us scared.” Abby gripped her hand tighter, and only then did Katherine realize she was in restraints.   
  
“What?” She shook her hands.   
  
“You were really out of it. Like, you went crazy.” Her voice caught, “I get it, but we couldn’t explain, you hurt yourself even more, they had to do something until you could wake up enough to listen.”   
  
“They showed me pictures…” Katherine felt the bile rise in her throat, and Abby flinched. Of course she saw the pictures. She pulled a blue bag to Katherine’s mouth as she vomited clear liquid. “It looked…”   
  
Abby held a hand to her cheek. “It was horrible, but we don’t know where they got those photos. Or how old they were. It wasn’t Anna. Gibbs is going to bring her in when you’re ready, but you have to believe me, OK?” Katherine nodded, still trying to erase the horrible images she’d been forced to see.   
  
“What happened?” She finally asked. She didn’t have the strength to sit up and check herself for stitches, bruises, bandages, or whatever else.   
  
Abby smiled, “Bossman kicked some bad guy ass. Well, I mean, they all did, and Tony got the brother on conspiracy charges so even without that murder you caught him in, he’s not weaseling out of prison. Ever.” Her eyes drooped, “You’ve been out for a while.”   
  
Katherine felt Abby’s fingers trembling as she rubbed slow circles along the back of her hand. She had questions, but she didn’t know how to ask. She let her head rest back onto the pillow and closed her eyes. When Abby’s hands tightened around hers, she gave a small smile. “Just resting my eyes, love. I’m sure there will be doctors in here to talk to me soon, it’s just so damn bright…”   
  
Abby graciously closed the blinds on her window and dimmed the lights just as a team of people in white lab coats entered the room. “Ms. McDonough? Glad to see you’re back with us,” a friendly young man said with a smile. “You gave us all quite the scare, but you certainly had your cheerleading squad.” He patted Abby’s shoulder.   
  
Katherine couldn’t help it, she smirked. “Where’s your pompoms?” Abby gently punched her shoulder, but the doctor continued.   
  
“Has Ms. Sciuto updated you much?”   
  
Katherine shook her head and her brow furrowed as Abby bit her lip and focused on her hands. “Why?”

 

  
  
*** Three Weeks Prior ***

  
“Family for McDonough?” The doctor called, and stepped back as several people stood and quickly rushed toward him. “Oh, uh, hello. I’m Doctor Woodford, I was on her surgical team. Follow me so we can talk, and then she might be ready for visitors.” The dark haired woman practically fainted into the arms of the younger man with them, but the older man just glared until he started walking. He lead them into his office and explained what had happened.   
  
His patient was suffering from multiple contusions of varying severity, and a subdural hematoma, causing pressure on her brain. They’d managed to control that, but she was not going to regain consciousness until it was more thoroughly resolved. The hardest injury, however, was damage to her spine. Sometimes he could tell families that their loved ones would walk again. Sometimes he was certain they would not. This time, he just wasn’t sure. They wouldn’t know until she woke up.   
  
The black haired woman, Abby, curled herself against the younger man, and started babbling about their house, and ramps, and how the older man could build anything.

*****

“Jethro, Abby is fine. She can stay the night by herself!” Tony was still on edge from the whole situation, even though he was supposed to be home getting sleep before work the next day. And now Jethro was packing up at 1am to go to the hospital because he couldn't sleep, and they'd been at each other's throats all evening. “Goddamnit! Stop!” He’d had enough. “Why can't you trust us?”

That made Jethro stop and turn. “Excuse me?”

“You heard what I said.” Tony's voice was carefully calm and precise. He needed to keep himself on track, or his anger would take over and this would all be pointless.

“I trust you, Tony.” Jethro's face was unreadable.

Tony scoffed. “Look, I get  _ why _ you've got issues trusting people to take care of your family. But the fact is, you  _ don't _ trust us. You didn't trust me to do my job and get in there, you don't even trust Abby now to watch over Katherine in the hospital. You can't always be the one to save everyone, J. She's my family too. I've never had a family, you think this was easy on me? Hell no. It was harder because I KNEW you were going to swoop in and save the day, whether we knew your plans or not, and I had to convince Stayton to let you in. I had to negotiate 2 highly trained snipers off that team so you and corolli could go in. I had to risk my probie because it was the safest way get your ass in that building. I couldn't just focus on getting everyone out of there, I had to think about you too. Because you couldn't trust me to do my job.”

Tony saw Jethro's breath quicken as he dropped his go bag. “You think I went in there because I don't trust you?” He stepped into Tony's space, almost nose to nose. “None of my family should be in danger. If it was between you going in and me, I'd rather take the shot.”

“I'm in danger all the time.” Tony replied, not moving an inch.

“And it kills me.” Jethro said through gritted teeth. He grabbed Tony by the back of the neck and kissed him hard, shoving him until they hit a wall, grunting.

“Trying to save everyone will just get you killed one of these days.” Tony said, as soon as he could breathe again, but Jethro didn't respond. He was too busy thoroughly covering Tony with his mouth. “Jethro!” Tony's sharp tone stopped him. “We need you. Here, with us. Please.” He felt a tightness in his chest as Jethro leaned into him, his head on his neck and shoulder. “We love you.” He whispered. And Jethro broke, all his rage, all his fear, all his guilt, it broke and he fell onto his lover, sinking into the floor. Tony sat there for what seemed like forever, holding him, reminding him that he wasn't the lone wolf, the man with nothing to lose. He was loved.   


 

  
*** Present ***    
  
The doctors had gone, they’d given Katherine and Abby a little space before testing her reflexes and trying to get her to wiggle her toes. Katherine had freaked out when they told her they wouldn’t know more until they did the tests. “Abs, what if…” Katherine was free of the restraints now, and pulled herself up on the bed. She felt the panic start to bloom and wanted to just try to get up and walk.   
  
“We’ll figure it out. No matter what. You’re here, babe. You’re here, and I’m not letting you go.” Abby hugged her tight and kissed her dry, chapped lips. “Let them do their tests. We’ll know more, ok?” Katherine nodded and tried to time her breathing with the gentle strokes up and down her back. She nodded again and Abby pressed the call button.

“Ok, tell me if you feel this,” and the doctor poked her hip, just below the waist. She nodded in relief. She closed her eyes and waited for the next one. When it didn't come, she sat up slightly, seeing the doctor pressing something to the bottom of her foot. She panicked then, but the doctor stopped her. “The feeling may take a while to come back, but your reflexes are good. That's a good thing. Close your eyes and wiggle your toes for me.” Katherine felt the tears on her cheeks, but tried her damnedest. She willed her feet into movement and immediately felt Abby embrace her with a squeal. “Good job. Excellent. We’ll definitely begin physical therapy as soon as you're cleared. It may take quite a while, but I'm optimistic.” His warm smile made Katherine sink into the bed with relief.

“Like I said...you had us scared.”

******

Almostmum, who apparently much preferred Dadada, had been sad lately. And Anna missed Mum. Notmum wasn't there much either. But Definitelynotmum had taken to singing to her every night after he got home, so that was a plus. Sometimes he even danced with her and Dada.

She knew she was getting cranky a lot, but everyone was cranky and she felt like they never relaxed anymore, she couldn't sleep right with everyone so on edge, and besides, her belly just wasn't the same with the sticky chalky stuff they were putting into her bottles. She was mad at Notmum. If Mum wasn't here, shouldn't Notmum make the good stuff for her? Maybe Definitelynotmum wasn't making the bottles right. Didn't matter, she had every right to be cranky.

Until Dada hung up the phone with the biggest smile she'd seen in forever. He scooped her out of her cage (they called it a “pack n play”...it’s a cage.) And spun her in a circle. “Who wants to see Mommy?” He asked. Before she could answer, he blew a raspberry on her belly and she giggled. She loved when Dada was happy. She didn't even complain too much about the stupid car seat.

After a FOREVER long ride, Dada carried her into a bright and stinky house with lots of people. It was different from the place Definitelynotmum called “work,” and it was kinda scary, so she clung to Dada’s shirt. He shushed her and bounced a little, that always helped. Then she heard Notmum’s happy sound, which was almost louder than hers, and she was squished between Dada and Notmum. She started twisting and pushing them off. Dada promised Mum!

“Hey my little love,” she heard and stopped. Mum sounded funny, and her face was all wet and yucky, but it was Mum! Anna started kicking and clapping and reaching for her, until Dada laughed and passed her over. Immediately, she realized she was hungry. But Mum started crying and said it wouldn't work, it had been too long. Forget that, she had to try. After several minutes, Anna only got a few drops of what she wanted, but just being in Mum’s arms and nursing again, and having everyone seem much calmer, made her drop off into a sleep deeper than she’d had in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was definitely more to Tony and Jethro's argument, but I tried to capture the most important bits. Jethro feels guilty for not saving his first family, and that his life is less important because everyone else will just move on without him--tony still needs to convince him that he's not the man with nothing to lose. And Tony feels like Jethro can't rely on him, which affects his insecurities. It's not resolved, but it's a breakthrough to work through/past it. I hope that came across!

**Author's Note:**

> This is out of sequence with "Father's day"--I'm guessing around March or April.


End file.
